Stream down type ice making machine

ABSTRACT

A stream down type ice making machine having an ice making plate in which an ice making region is defined between a pair of vertical ribs, the pair of vertical ribs being spaced apart in the width direction and projecting from an ice making face and an evaporator disposed meanderingly in the back face opposite to the ice making face of the ice making plate, the ice making region of the ice making plate is cooled by cyclically supplying the evaporator with a refrigerant as well as ice-making water is supplied to flow down thereon so that many a lump of ice is produced on the ice making region, wherein protrusions projecting to the ice making region side and having a slope formed on the upper face thereof, the slope being inclined from above to down as being away from the ice making face, are provided in the vertical rib.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to a stream down type ice making machine that produces lumps of ice in an ice making region by flow-supplying an ice-making water in the ice making region of an ice making plate in which an evaporator is arranged in the back face thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

As the ice making machine for producing lumps of ice continuously, there is known a stream down type ice making machine, wherein a pair of ice making plates are arranged vertically opposite to an evaporator being sandwiched therebetween, the evaporator constituting a freezing system, and an ice-making water is spray-supplied onto the surface (the ice making face) of each of the ice making plates to be cooled with refrigerant, the refrigerant being cyclically supplied to the evaporator, thereby forming a lump of ice, and then the obtained lump of ice is peeled off to be discharged by falling.

In the deicing operation of the stream down type ice making machine, the ice making plate is heated by cyclically supplying the evaporator with a hot gas, flowing down a deicing-water at ordinary temperature to the back face of the ice making plate, to thereby melt the frozen portion between the ice making face and the lump of ice. The lump of ice is thus caused to fall with self-weight. In this case, the lump of ice falls along the ice making face, however, if another lump of ice positioned on the downside has not fallen yet, the lump of ice of the upper side will not fall by being caught by this lump of ice, and thus there is a problem that the lump of ice is melted more than necessary. Then, protrusions projecting to the outer direction are provided between the positions, where lumps of ice of the upper side and downside in the ice making face are formed, so that the lump of ice of the upper side runs upon the protrusion when it falls, thereby causing the lump of ice of the upper side to fall without being caught by the lump of ice of the downside (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 3-28280, for example).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The projecting height from the ice making face of the protrusion needs to be such an adequate size that the lump of ice having run over the protrusion will not be caught by the lump of ice of the downside. Namely, if the projecting height is inadequate, the lump of ice will be caught by the lump of ice of the downside, so that it will not fall promptly, thereby causing such problems as that the deicing time becomes long to decrease the daily ice making capacity, that the amount of lump of ice melting wastefully on the ice making face increases thereby to decrease the daily ice making capacity and to produce ice of abnormal shape, and that the power consumption and the amount of consumed water increase.

Here, since the ice making plate is used in the severe conditions of repeating cooling and heating, the protrusions are usually integrally molded by press work. However, if high protrusions are molded in the ice making face by press work, distortion and the like are produced in the ice making face, thereby causing a problem affecting the ice making capacity. For this reason, in the present conditions protrusions with a sufficient height can not be molded.

Namely, the present invention has been proposed, in view of the problem inherent in the conventional art described above, to resolve this suitably, and is intended to provide a stream down type ice making machine capable of facilitating falling of lumps of ice without producing distortion and the like in the ice making face.

In order to overcome the problems described above and achieve the desired objective suitably, a stream down type ice making machine according to the present invention comprises: an ice making plate in which an ice making region is defined between a pair of vertical ribs, the pair of vertical ribs being spaced apart in the width direction and projecting from an ice making face; and an evaporator disposed meanderingly in the back face opposite to the ice making face of the ice making plate, wherein the ice making region of the ice making plate is cooled by cyclically supplying the evaporator with a refrigerant as well as ice-making water is supplied to flow down thereon so that many a lump of ice is produced on said ice making region, wherein protrusions projecting to the ice making region side and having a slope formed on the upper face thereof, the slope being inclined from above to down as coming away from the ice making face, are provided in the vertical rib.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a principal portion showing the ice making portion of a stream down type ice making machine according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the principal portion of the ice making portion according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section side view of the principal portion of the ice making portion according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section side view of the principal portion of an ice making portion according to a modification example of the first embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical section side view of a principal portion of the ice making portion in a stream down type ice making machine according to a second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Next, the stream down type ice making machine according to the present invention will be described hereinafter by way of suitable embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 shows an ice making portion of a stream down type ice making machine according to a first embodiment. An ice making portion 10 basically comprises a pair of ice making plates (or ice making board) 12 and 12 arranged vertically; and an evaporator 14 sandwiched between the opposing faces (the back faces) of both the ice making plates 12 and 12, the evaporator constituting a freezing system that meanders so that a straight portion 14 a thereof extends in the horizontal direction, and in the ice making process a refrigerant is caused to circulate in the evaporator 14, thereby forcedly cooling the ice making plates 12 and 12. In addition, above the ice making portion 10, there are disposed ice-making water supply means to supply an ice-making water to the surface (the ice making face) of each ice making plate 12 in the ice making process, and deicing-water supply means (neither shown) to supply a deicing-water between the opposing faces (the back faces) of both the ice making plates 12 and 12 in the deicing process. Moreover, in the deicing process, a hot gas (a high temperature refrigerant) is supplied to the evaporator 14 by switching the valve of the freezing system. Although the ice making plates 12 and 12 are constituted of, for example, a stainless steel plate with a relatively low heat conductivity and the evaporator 14 is constituted of, for example, a copper pipe with a relatively high heat conductivity, other quality of materials may be employed.

In each of the ice making plates 12, a plurality of vertical ribs 16 extending in parallel in the vertical direction are formed with a predetermined space apart in the width direction (in the extending direction of the straight portion 14 a in the evaporator 14) as to project to the surface side, and the ice making region is defined between a pair of vertical ribs 16 and 16 adjoining to each other in the width direction, respectively, whereby an ice-making water is supplied to flow down to the ice making region via the ice-making water supply means. The vertical rib 16 is constituted of a pair of extension portions 16 a and 16 a, the extension portions being bend-formed towards the front direction from each ice making face (surface) 12 a, each of the ice-making face extending vertically in the ice making region and being positioned substantially in parallel with the evaporator 14, the ice making region being adjoining to each other in the width direction, and the vertical rib 16 exhibits a V shape in the plane cross section. Then, in the face of the ice making region side in the respective extension portions 16 a and 16 a, as shown FIG. 2, a plurality of protrusions 18 are formed with a predetermined space being apart in the vertical direction. In addition, the protrusions 18 and 18 formed in both extension portions 16 a and 16 a that sandwich the ice making region therebetween are positioned so as to face to each other in the same level.

The protrusion 18 is set as to face to between the straight portions 14 a and 14 a positioned above and below the evaporator 14. Moreover, the protrusion 18, as shown in FIG. 3, exhibits a shape of substantially triangle as viewed from the side, the bent edge (the boundary) between the extension portion 16 a and the ice making face 12 a being the bottom face of the triangle, and a slope 18 a of the upper side thereof is set as to be inclined from above to down as being away from the ice making face 12 a, so that a lump of ice C is guided by the slope 18 a to thereby be away from the ice making face 12 a. In addition, the angle of gradient of the slope 18 a is set to, for example, 30°-45°. The top portion (the furthermost region from the ice making face 12 a) of the protrusion 18 is set to a position in which the lump of ice C will not be caught by a lump of ice C positioned on the downside when the lump of ice C runs over the protrusion 18 (refer to FIG. 3). Moreover, the projecting dimensions (the projecting dimensions to the ice making region side) from the extension portion 16 a of the protrusion 18 is set to such a value (for example, approximately 1 mm) not to produce distortion in the press work.

Action of First Embodiment

Next, the action of the stream down type ice making machine according to the first embodiment described above will be described.

Upon start of the ice making process of the stream down type ice making machine having the ice making portion 10 incorporated therein, an ice-making water is supplied to the ice making face 12 a (the ice making region) of each ice making plate 12 via the ice-making water supply means while a refrigerant is cyclically supplied to the evaporator 14. The ice-making water which flows down to each ice making region is cooled to start freezing gradually in the region being in contact with the evaporator 14, and finally, a plurality of semicircle lumps of ice C will be produced being apart in the vertical direction in each ice making region.

Moving to a deicing process, while a hot gas is cyclically supplied to the evaporator 14, the deicing-water is supplied between the opposing faces of the pair of ice making plates 12 and 12 via the deicing-water supply means, and the frozen portion between each ice making face 12 a and the lump of ice C is melted, and the lump of ice C will slide down the ice making face 12 a with self-weight. At this time, the lump of ice C runs on the protrusions 18 and 18 at both sides, the protrusions 18 and 18 at both sides sandwiching the ice making region therebetween, and it will move outward as to be away from the ice making face 12 a. Since the top portion of these protrusions 18 and 18 is positioned being sufficiently spaced apart from the ice making face 12 a, the lump of ice C having run over these protrusions 18 and 18 will not be prevented from falling down by being caught by the lump of ice C still being frozen on the downside, and thus it will fall promptly. Accordingly, the deicing time will not become long and thus the daily ice making capacity will not decrease, and the lump of ice C will not melt wastefully on the ice making face and thus abnormally shaped ice will not be produced. Furthermore, it is also possible to prevent the power consumption and the amount of consumed water from increasing.

Moreover, since both right and left sides of the lump of ice C sliding down the ice making face 12 a are guided by the protrusions 18 and 18, the lump of ice C will not be inclined to right and left and thus it will not be prevented from falling smoothly. Moreover, since there is no projecting portions in the ice making face 12 a, air comes in easily between the lump of ice C and the ice making face 12 a when the lump of ice C runs on the protrusions 18 and 18, thereby further facilitating falling of the lump of ice C.

Furthermore, although the protrusion 18 is molded into the extension portion 16 a with press work, the position of the top portion can be set to the position that is sufficiently separated from the ice making face 12 a, while the projecting dimensions from the extension portion 16 a are suppressed to be small. Namely, the generation of distortion in the ice making plate 12 in the press work is suppressed, thereby causing no adverse influences such as decreasing of the ice making capacity.

Modification of First Embodiment

The shape of the protrusion is not limited to a triangle, but may be a shape in which at least an upper face thereof is inclined downward, and, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, it may be a straight one downwardly inclined toward the outside direction (the side being away from the ice making face 12 a) from the bended edge between the ice making face 12 a and the extension portion 16 a. Then, also in a protrusion 20 having a straight line shape, the lump of ice C can be caused to be away from the ice making face 12 a along a slope 20 a thereof. In addition, while the projecting dimensions from the extension portion 16 a of the protrusion 20 are suppressed to be small, the position at the tip (the lower end of the slope) can be separated from the ice making face 12 a sufficiently, thereby allowing the lump of ice C to fall promptly.

Although in the first embodiment the protrusions are provided opposite to the extension portions (the vertical ribs) at both sides, the extension portions at both sides sandwiching the ice making region therebetween, the protrusion may be provided in the extension portion (the vertical rib) at least one of the sides. Moreover, although in the first embodiment the ice making plate has been described as an integral one, it may be an ice making plate configured by coupling a plurality of ice making members in parallel in the width direction, the ice making members being formed in a horseshoe shape in the plane cross section. In this case, the protrusions just need to be provided in the side-plate portions (the vertical ribs) of the ice making members, the side-plate portions facing to each other. Furthermore, although in the first embodiment the ice making portion in which the evaporator is sandwiched by a pair of ice making plates has been described, the ice making portion may be configured by disposing the evaporator in the back face of one ice making plate.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 5 shows an ice making portion of a stream down type ice making machine according to the second embodiment. In addition, concerning the same members as those of the first embodiment described above, the same numerals are given and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In an ice making portion 22 according to the second embodiment, the protrusion 18 formed in each extension portion 16 a in the vertical rib 16 provided in the ice making plate 12 is set in the position corresponding to the evaporator 14 arranged in the back face of the ice making plate 12. Namely, in the ice making process, in the ice making portion 22 of the second embodiment, the protrusions 18 and 18 are included by the lump of ice C produced in the ice making region. Then, moving to the deicing process, where a hot gas is cyclically supplied to the evaporator 14 and a deicing-water is supplied to the back face of the ice making plate 12, and when the frozen portion between the ice making face 12 a and the lump of ice C is thereby melted, the lump of ice C will slide down along the slopes 18 a and 18 a in the protrusions 18 and 18 to the direction being apart from the ice making face 12 a with self-weight,

Namely, in the case of the second embodiment, as soon as the frozen portion between the lump of ice C and the ice making face 12 a is melted, the lump of ice C will come away from the ice making face 12 a, so air comes between both C and 12 a, thereby allowing a prompt falling, and thus the time required for the deicing process can be reduced. Accordingly, the daily ice making capacity is improved, while the power consumption, the amount of consumed water and the like can be reduced. Be noted that in addition to the above advantages, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be also attained.

Moreover, also in the configuration of the second embodiment, the modification example described above with regard to the first embodiment can be employed suitably.

According to the stream down type ice making machine of claim 1, since the protrusions are provided in the vertical rib that forms the ice making region, it is possible to cause the top portion of the protrusion to face to the position being apart relative to the ice making face, without producing distortion and the like in the ice making face, thereby allowing the lump of ice to fall promptly. Namely, the problems such as that the deicing time becomes long to decrease the daily ice making capacity, that the amount of lump of ice C melting wastefully on the ice making face increases thereby to decrease the daily ice making capacity and to produce abnormally shaped ice, and that the power consumption and the amount of consumed water increase can be prevented from occurring. Moreover, since there is no protrusion in the ice making face, air comes in easily between the ice making face and the lump of ice, thereby facilitating falling of the lump of ice further.

According to the stream down type ice making machine of claim 2, since the protrusions are provided in the position corresponding to the position in which the lump of ice in the ice making face is not formed, the shape of lump of ice will not change due to the presence of the protrusion. According to the stream down type ice making machine of claim 3, since the protrusions are provided corresponding to the position in which the lump of ice in the ice making face is formed, the lump of ice whose frozen portion against the ice making face is melted can be separated from the ice making face promptly. According to the stream down type ice making machine of claim 4, since the protrusions are provided opposite to both vertical ribs, both vertical ribs sandwiching the ice making region therebetween, it is possible to fall lumps of ice smoothly without inclining them. 

1. A stream down type ice making machine comprising: an ice making plate in which an ice making region is defined between a pair of vertical ribs, the pair of vertical ribs being spaced apart in the width direction and projecting from an ice making face; and an evaporator disposed meanderingly in the back face opposite to the ice making face of the ice making plate, the ice making region of the ice making plate is cooled by cyclically supplying the evaporator with a refrigerant as well as ice-making water is supplied to flow down thereon so that many a lump of ice is produced on said ice making region, wherein protrusions projecting to the ice making region side and having a slope formed on the upper face thereof, the slope being inclined from above to down as being away from the ice making face, are provided in the vertical rib.
 2. The stream down type ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are positioned between straight portions extending to the lateral direction in the evaporator and being spaced apart vertically.
 3. The stream down type ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions correspond to a disposed position of the evaporator.
 4. The stream down type ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are provided opposite to the vertical ribs at both sides, the vertical ribs at both sides sandwiching the ice making region therebetween. 